> ERA Mourns Gene Straube
Gene F. Straube
Aug. 29, 1928 – Sept. 4, 2022
Atherton, California
Gene Straube was born at home in a brownstone on 86th Street in Manhattan 94 years ago to Eugene and Agnes Kramer Straube, young immigrants from Germany. As their fourth child arriving 15-20 years after his three sisters, and the only boy in the family, he was raised and pampered by four mothers rather than just one.
He attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City followed by Columbia University, where he earned both a bachelor of arts degree and a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and was awarded membership in both Phi Beta Kappa and Tau Beta Pi honorary fraternities.
After completing his Navy service in 1953, his engineering career got off to an adventurous start as he moved to California to work with Howard Hughes at Hughes Semiconductor. He chose to live in Manhattan Beach because it sounded like Manhattan. There he and his first wife raised three children. In 1993 he married the love of his life, Marie. They spent “the golden years” traveling, playing bridge and golf and enjoying life together.
In 1960 he relocated to Mountain View, Calif., where he founded Straube Associates, Inc., one of the pioneering manufacturers’ representatives for electronic components between the manufacturers and the newly-developing computer industry in what would become known as Silicon Valley.
He was a long-time ERA member – part of the Northern California chapter – and was inducted into the ERA White Pin group in 1979.
Gene remained active in his company for more than 50 years as president and later as chairman of the Board, and truly lived his motto: “If you do something you love you will never work a day in your life.” Today his son Chris continues spearheading the corporation and the tradition.
Gene passed away just one week after his 94th birthday party, where he was thrilled to meet his first great-grandchild who was just 21 days old. The photo of the four generations became an immediate family treasure.
Upon his passing, a friend described him as an American gentleman, the kind we no longer produce. He will be remembered by those who were fortunate to know him for his big smile, his energy, his charm, his love of life and his love of people.
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ERA’s 2023 Annual Conference Committee is proud to present the theme of “Moving On, Moving Beyond” for the educational and networking conference scheduled for Feb. 26-28, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) announces that Janine Spediacci has joined its team as the Events Coordinator, effective June 2022.
The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) is pleased to announce the appointment of the chair, vice chair and members of the 2023 Conference Committee responsible for planning the 2023 ERA Conference, scheduled Feb. 26 – Feb. 28 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin, Texas.
Grayhill, Inc. announced that after nearly 47 years of service to Grayhill, Dick Neumann has decided to retire in August of 2022.
ERA is pleased and proud to announce the new ERA HoverMap. (
Generally accepted definitions of the sales territories and the corresponding ERA Chapters that operate in these territories. It is important to note that ERA Chapter names and the territories within which they operate have not changed.
is based on live and demonstrated sales of product by over 1,200 distributors (local to national) reporting for nearly 130 varied manufacturers, representing the passive electromechanical industry. This data should not be interpreted or used to measure any person or company representing a specific territory, but rather to provide a broad perspective on industry territorial
– ERA Chapter Name Hyperlink – Clicking on the ERA Chapter name will take the user to the alphabetical listing of the rep members in that chapter. Clicking on the rep company’s name will take the user to the company’s website.
The Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) announces that Susan Bannwart has joined its team as Finance Director, effective early April 2022.
> Communication is key
FROM THE TOP
John O’Brien, CPMR
Coakley, Boyd and Abbett
ERA President
jobrien@cbane.com
by John O’Brien, CPMR
As I was sitting in a colleague’s office, I read a small plaque on his windowsill for the thousandth time. It reads, “Poor performance doesn’t lose lines, lack of communication does.” I left his office and went on about my day, but something in the back of my mind kept bringing this thought forward. Later that day I got in the car to take an hour-long ride to visit a customer. I find that alone time in the car is when I get some of my best thinking done and then it hit me. In today’s world, how do we really define communication?
We are bombarded with communication from so many sources every hour of every day, including emails that we send and receive. It’s strange, but I’ve had to actually start using my out-of-office message more regularly. When we were all work-ing remotely at our desks all day, we were able to get answers to people quickly. Now, with customers opening up to see visitors more, those responses are delayed and people are not used to that delay. So, to help set the expectations for my responses, I will say in my outgoing message: “I am on the road visiting customers today, so my responses will be delayed.” While I may not be communicating an answer, at least I am communicating the expectation of when I can provide one. Then there are all of the other communications, text messages, LinkedIn posts, social media, as well as this article. The key to good communication is to be both efficient and effective.
Just as no two people like the same top-pings on their pizza, no two people have the same communications method. I find it fascinating to learn how each individual prefers to communicate. Sure, many of us follow the same routine: send an email, send a follow-up email, then send a third request. And let’s face it – we’ve all fallen into the email trap of “Well, I sent an email, but I haven’t heard back.” But the true art of communicating is going beyond what you’re comfortable with and seeking results with different methods. Maybe you can follow up the email with a phone call. Maybe you send a text to see if someone is available, prior to a phone call. Maybe you send an InMessage through LinkedIn to schedule a time to make the phone call. Or, maybe you word your email as a call to action by explaining why it’s important to them to get back to you. When I am work-ing with new colleagues, I like to challenge them to get out of their communication comfort zone and try something different. You’d be amazed at the response you get when you try different things.
We are all facing the same challenges in our industry today. Long lead times, supply chain constraints, rising raw material costs and product allocation are just a few. How many of us sit on calls with our partners (reps, manufacturers and distributors) and our customers, talk-ing about these issues and hearing how they are negatively affecting the customers? As salespeople, it is in our nature to want to help, if for no other reason than it’s our job to sell them products and we all want to be good at our jobs. Another colleague of mine is fond of saying, “In these tough times, we need to over-communicate. We need to keep reminding customers of the lead time issues. We need to communicate when parts get recommitted or when shipments don’t happen as scheduled. The more we can communicate with our customers, the better chance of them continuing to be our customers.” Her statement couldn’t be more true. Communicating bad news is the hardest thing to do, but if we deliver it quickly and effectively, customers appreciate it. They may not like the news, but at least they can make the necessary plans based on it.
To be a good communicator, you need to be a good listener. Ask people around me – one of my favorite sayings is, “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason, you should listen twice as much as you speak.” For us salespeople, that’s very difficult. We’re trained weekly on webinars where we learn all about our manufacturer’s latest parts. Then we want to go out and expound that knowledge on our customer base. We load up with data sheets, PowerPoints and samples to head out to find that next big opportunity. In our minds, we know why we think this particular part would be perfect for our customers. I propose that before you start presenting the latest and greatest, ask some questions. Ask the customer if they are having a problem. Ask the customer if they’ve found a solution. Ask them if they would be willing to consider an alternate solution. Anything you have to do to get them talking – then listen. Listen to their responses so you can tailor your discussion to their individual needs.
Finally, we need to make sure we are communicating well with all of our partners. Manufacturers’ reps, our principals and our distribution partners are all stakeholders in the success of our customers. The lines of communication need to be open and clear amongst all of us so that we’re all working towards the combined goal of closing opportunities and growing revenue.
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